"We did change our windshield wipers last week, which was good timing cause they were just scratching across the window," said Balboa Park visitor Sharon McKenzie.

Here's another reason for Morris to love the rain: A personal tour aboard the Balboa Park Trolley with her son Garret. They ride the trolley every week, but they think because of the early rain it scared off most the visitors. Sure enough, the parking lot at the zoo also had plenty of open spaces.

The rain did come with some problems, though. According to the California Highway Patrol, officers responded to about three times the normal number of accidents on area highways, some big, but most of them just fender-benders. Not surprisingly, most of the crashes occurred during the morning rush hour.

Along with the clouds, cooler temperatures, and slick roads - the rain also brought smaller problems, like closures to athletics fields and reminders that your car is probably over due to get the windshield wipers changed.

On the plus side, the county's department of public works, which often has to deal with downed trees and flooded roadways, reported no significant problems.

Things are about to change, though: We're expecting improving conditions with plenty of sunshine by Friday and an absolutely beautiful beach weekend ahead, with highs in low 70s near the water and mid-80s in the valleys.